Blue Cheese Burger with Carmelized Onions

I'm back! Sorry for the lack of updating on the blog. It's been a crazy few months with my sister's wedding, visiting family and finding out my husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I won't bore you with the details of being completely turned off to delicious food for a month and a half but will reward you with a tasty burger recipe.

Ingredients

1lb ground beef (20% fat)
8 oz blue cheese crumbles
3 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
4 rolls

Directions

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, half the blue cheese, dill weed, salt and pepper. Set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, the remaining half of blue cheese, salt and pepper. Form four (4) patties. Heat grill to medium high heat.

Heat a skillet, over medium low heat. Melt butter in skillet, add sliced onion. Saute for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, begin to cook burger patties on grill, approximately 5 minutes for each side. After 10-12 minutes, add sugar to onions, stir to coat. Allow the onions to cook until golden brown. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towel.

Once burgers are cooked completed, place each burger on a roll, top with a quarter of the blue cheese sauce and onions.

Mac n Cheese with Prosciutto and Squash

This dish is what I like to call adult comfort food. It was such a surprise. We found the recipe in an issue of Men's Health magazine. I've never cooked squash so I stuck to the directions in the recipe and the results were fabulous.


Ingredients
1 box of macaroni and cheese
4 oz. of whole milk ricotta cheese
4 oz. of prosciutto, diced
1/2 of squash (I used acorn), cubed
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare macaroni and cheese according to directions on box. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add squash and saute until golden brown and just tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plated. Mix ricotta cheese into macaroni. Add sauteed squash and prosciutto. Stir to combine. Pour macaroni into a lightly greased 9 x 9 baking dish. (Optional: you can add breadcrumb to the top of the dish.) Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until bubbling.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

I was inspired to make a creamy tomato sauce when I saw a similar recipe on Stephanie Cooks. It was super simple and super quick to make and tastes way better than jarred sauce.


Ingredients
10 oz. heavy cream or half and half (I used half and half)
4 oz. tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
fresh chopped basil to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden brown. Add tomato paste, cream, cheese, oregano and basil. Stir to combine and cook until just heated throughout. Serve over al dente pasta.

Southwest Corn Chowder

With the cooler temperatures and rainy weather we've been treating ourselves to lots of comfort food. I had some fresh Jersey corn in my freezer that I wanted to use before it was destroyed by frost bite. Velvety and warm corn chowder was just the thing to make. I don't particularly care about the calories from using heavy cream but if you do you could easily substitute half and half or light cream instead. Serve this with some crusty bread and you have a warming and satisfying meal.


Ingredients
5 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
32 oz of chicken or vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot, add oil and onions stirring to coat. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to carmelize. Add garlic and continue cooking until pale golden brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and garlic and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to boil for an additional 10 minutes, be sure to stir to prevent the cream from burning or boiling over. Add the corn and red peppers, simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Add paprika and chili powder, salt and pepper to tasty. Serve hot. You can garnish with cheddar cheese and/or scallions.

Beef Burgundy

I first had a version of this dish at McGuire's Irish Pub (beware of the bathroom signs, read carefully!) in Destin, Florida while I was visiting a friend earlier this year. It was amazing...I'm pretty sure I got food drunk off of this dish instead of regular drunk off of the beers I was drinking. I was hell bent on recreating this when I got home and succeeded the first time about a month after my trip but it definitely needed some tweaking and finesse. This time I nailed it. You can easily make this in a dutch oven but I did a lot of the cooking head of time and put everything in a crock pot on low the morning of the day I wanted to serve it. Don't get hung up with what type of wine to use, I had a Merlot on hand so I used that, you could easily use a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Pinot Noir.


Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds of stew meat
1 package of bacon, sliced in 1 inch sections
1 pound of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, rough chopped
8 oz of beef broth
8 oz of red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp flour

Directions
This first portion can be done up to a day ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator. In a large skillet, cook bacon pieces until crispy. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towels. Drain oil from pan. Place pan back over medium high heat, add meat and brown on all sides. Remove from pan. Add onions and mushrooms, cook until onions are golden brown and mushrooms have released their juices, about 12 minutes. Remove from pan and mix with beef and bacon.

In crock pot, whisk beef broth, wine, tomato paste and thyme together. Add in beef, bacon, onions and mushrooms to broth mixture. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Once cooking cycle is complete, remove all beef, bacon and vegetables from the crock pot. Pour remaining sauce in a sauce pan and heat over medium high heat. Let reduce by half. Mix flour with 4 tbsp of sauce and pour back into sauce pan, continue to cook until thickened slightly.

Prior to serving, bake a piece of puff pastry large enough to cover serving dish(es) at 400 degrees until golden brown. Serve beef with sauce in casserole dish or individual ramekins and top with puff pastry. (I cooked the pasty over top the casserole but the dish was too big to support the pasty...that explains the concave crust in the picture above. It still tastes delicious though!)

Chicken Pot Pie

We live in New Jersey which is notorious for it's clusterfuck weather. It can easily be 90 degrees one day and 50 degrees the next, this was exactly what happened to us this weekend. We had the air conditioning on up until Friday and today I was bundled up in sweats and was debating turning on the heater. On top of the cooler temperatures it was raining all day, I clearly needed something to warm us up. This meal is an easy and delicious one but time consuming. It's completely worth the effort but don't try to rush it.



Ingredients

2 - 15 inch premade pie crust, room temperature
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
8 oz of frozen mixed veggies
1 yellow onion, rough chopped
16 oz chicken broth
4 - 5 tbsp flour
3 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a dutch oven, heat chicken broth. Cut two circles from the pie crust dough large enough to cover the bottom of two small souffle dishes. Place both dishes on a cookie sheet and bake in over for approximately 7-15 minutes, until just flaky, remove and let cool. (If edges get too brown before dough is cooked, cover edges with tin foil.)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Transfer brown chicken and onions to broth. Add in frozen veggies, sage, and thyme. Bring to a vigorous boil and cook for 15 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly. Whisk flour with 2 tsp of hot broth in a separate dish, once flour is dissolved add back to chicken mixture. Continue to boil for another 5 minutes, mixture will thicken.

To assemble the pot pies, spoon chicken and veggies into each dish, add desired amount of broth to each dish. Cut two additional circles from the second pie crust. Top each dish with one circle of dough. Pinch edges closed. Cut slits in top of the dough to vent steam. Place both dishes on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for an addition 7-10 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Finger Sandwiches

Roast Beef and Cheddar


Ingredients
12 slices wheat bread
1/2 pound roast beef, sliced thin
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin
6 tsp horseradish

Directions
Spread horseradish on 6 slices of bread. Divide roast beef between 6 slices of bread spread with horseradish. Divide cheese between remaining 6 slices of bread. Top each roast beef half with a cheese half. Cut crusts off and slice remaining sandwiches in half.

Ham and Swiss

Ingredients
12 slices of white bread
6 tsp of stone ground mustard
1/2 pound of Virgina tavern ham, sliced thin
1/4 pound of Swiss cheese

Directions
Spread mustard on 6 slices of breads. Divide ham between 6 slices of bread spread with mustard. Divide cheese between remaining slices of bread. Top each ham half with a cheese ham. Cut crusts off and slice remaining sandwiches in half.

Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Dill

Ingredients
12 slices wheat bread
6 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp fresh dill, chopped fine
8 oz smoked salmon, sliced
half a large cucumber, sliced thin

Directions
In a small bowl mix cream cheese and dill together, chill for 2 hours or overnight. (NOTE: you don't have to let the cream cheese and dill chill, however the flavors won't be as blended).

Remove cream cheese mixture from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Spread 6 slices of bread with cream cheese mixture. Divide smoked salmon between 6 slices of bread spread with cream cheese. Top remaining 6 slices of bread with cucumbers. Top each smoked salmon half with a cucumber half. Cut crusts off and cut remaining sandwiches in half.

Garlic and Herb Cheese Pinwheels

I've made these several times for different events. I just made them for a wine festival we attended and they traveled well and stood up to the warm weather and sun.

Ingredients

1 package of crescent rolls
4 oz garlic and herb pub cheese
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent roll dough and close any open seams. Spread pub cheese over the dough. Sprinkle Parmesan over pub cheese. Roll the dough up lengthwise. Chill in freezer for 5-10 minutes. Cut 1/2 inch slices of chilled dough. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Chicken Terriyaki

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, diced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp garlic powder
salt
pepper

Directions

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic in a 9 x 13 dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and coat with marinade; refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and marinade to skillet. Cook chicken thoroughly, about 10-15 minutes. Add peppers to skillet, coat for an additional minute.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Creamy Onion Soup

This is my version of the Walkabout Soup from Outback Steakhouse.

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
42 oz beef broth
3/4 cup hot water
4 tspb cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large pot, bring beef broth to a boil. Add onions to broth and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with hot water until completely dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to beef broth, stir until thoroughly incorporated. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Turn heat to low and add heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.

I served this with a simple steak and toasted pumpernickel bread just like they do at Outback.

Meatballs Stroganoff

I didn't even know what stroganoff was until I was about 21 and the first taste I had was of the Hamburger Helper variety. I was hell bent on having a homemade version of it. I had some frozen meatballs that I substituted from the normal ground beef (HH style) or sliced beef strips from original recipes.

Ingredients

10 meatballs
10 oz of sour cream
1 medium yellow onion
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp olive oil
1lb egg noodles
salt
pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large and deep skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides. While meatballs are browning, bring a pot of water to a boil. Transfer meatballs to an oven safe pan and finish cooking in oven, about 15 minutes. Add egg noodles to boil water, cook until tender about seven minutes. Drain thoroughly and do not rinse. Heat remaining tsp of oil in pan and add onion. Cook until golden and translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Turn heat to low, add sour cream and onion powder. Stir frequently to keep cream from burning.

Add meatballs and coat with sauce. Serve meatballs and sauce over egg noodles.

Warm Bananas and Rum Sauce

Oh. My. God. These were heaven in my mouth! I have to thank my husband's Major for leaving behind half a bottle of Captain Morgan Private Stock Rum. We're not big rum drinkers but I've found it a wonderful ingredient for my desserts recently (I used it to make The Best Apple Pie You Will Ever Have). I had some extra bananas left over from the muffins I made earlier this week and this dessert was born. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 shots of dark rum
1 tbsp of butter
1/4 cup of pecans

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, add sugar, rum and butter. Stir until melted and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add bananas and pecans. Coat with syrup.

Serve hot over ice cream or pound cake.

Beef and Noodles

When it comes to Asian food, I love sushi. The husband on the other hand does not like any form of fish or seafood and much prefers beef and chicken Chinese dishes. (It makes me so sad that he doesn't like fish but he does at least try everything once.) We've been trying to stop eating out or getting take out recently so I wanted to give the husband a homemade version of the Chinese food he loves so much. We both really liked this dish and it was a quick and easy meal to make, it would be great for a weekday meal.



Ingredients

1 lb of beef, cut into thin strips (London Broil would be great for this dish)
1 package of Udon noodles
1 small bell pepper, sliced
1/4 lb of snow peas or broccoli
Marinade
1tsp of garlic, minced
1 tsp of sesame oil
3 tsp of soy sauce
1tsp of Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
Sauce
4tsp of soy sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of chili powder

Directions

Combined marinade ingredients in a 9 x9 dish. Add beef slices, cover and refrigerator for at least 4 hours, best if over night.



Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, add beef to hot skillet. Do not add the marinade. Cook until no longer pink, about 7-9 minutes. Remove beef and keep warm. Add peppers, snow peas and/or broccoli to hot pan, cook until tender. While vegetables are cooking bring a pot of water to a boil. Add noodles. The noodles will cook in about 5-7 minutes. Drain, do not rinse. Once vegetables are tender, add all ingredients for sauce. Add beef and noodles and mix until coated with sauce.

Serve immediately.

Banana Pecan Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
4 bananas
3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed
1 tsp of vanilla
1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
2 eggs

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, roughly smash two bananas and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat two remaining bananas until they are smooth (about 2 minutes on high). Mix in the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, butter and additional bananas. Slowly mix in the flour and baking soda. Fold in the pecans.

Pour into batter into muffin tin. (I pour batter to the top for an extra big muffin top.)

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Serve warm from the oven or slice open and toast.

Chicken Bacon and Caramelized Onion Pizza

This pizza was inspired by an appetizer I made recently (that I have yet to post). It has everything we love: chicken, bacon and onions. It requires a little bit of effort if you don't have the ingredients leftover from another meal but it's still so worth it.

Ingredients

1 pre-made pizza crust
4 oz of tomato sauce
10 oz of fresh whole milk mozzarella, sliced
2 chicken breasts
6 pieces of bacon
1 yellow onion
2 tsp of sugar
olive oil
1 tbsp of butter

Directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cook bacon and cool. Once cool to handle rough chop.

Slice the onion (no wider than 1/4 inch). In a large saute pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter over a medium heat. Add the onions and saute for approximately 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Add the sugar to the onions and continually stir onions to prevent sugars from burning. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until onions are a deep golden brown and smell sweet. Remove from pan.

If you don't have left over chicken, season two chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper and saute in a pan with olive oil until just cooked through (about 5-7 minutes on the first side and 2-4 minutes on the second side). Remove from pan. Slice chicken into even strips.

Roll out the pizza dough onto an cookie sheet. Spread tomato sauce evenly to the edges. Place half of the cheese on top of the sauce; add the chicken and onions. Top with cheese and bacon. Sprinkle with oregano if you desire.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cheese and crust are golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Belgium Waffles

My husband loves waffles but he says he always forgets that we have a waffle iron to make them at home. I was in the mood for brinner (that's breakfast for dinner) and decided to treat us both to some delicious waffles and bacon. I used an Emeril Lagasse recipe and sweetened it up a bit.

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour (if you don't have this remove 4 Tbsp from your measurement)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
4 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 cups of milk
non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Heat the waffle iron to medium high.

In a medium bowl sift together flour and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is fully dissolved. Mix in the vanilla, butter and milk. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high for about two minutes or until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter until thorough incorporated.

Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and pour batter onto iron until just covered. Close iron and cook waffle. Waffle will be done when steams slows to almost a stop (about 4 minutes).

Serve hot with warm butter and syrup or whipped cream and fruit.

The picture above is of a pecan waffle topped with bananas and more pecans. I also made chocolate chip waffles for my husband. Just had your filling before closing the waffle iron.

Lemon Chicken

Recently I have been all about citrus. I cannot get enough of it and I keep finding different ways to use it in my cooking. I grabbed some lemons and made this delicious and simple lemon chicken. It was fresh and flavorful.

Ingredients

4 chicken cutlets
1 14 oz. can of low sodium chicken broth
2 lemons
2 tbsp olive oil
flour for dredging
4 cloves of roasted garlic, smashed into a paste (you can substitute fresh garlic, half the amount)
salt
pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet set to medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour until lightly coated. Saute chicken in hot oil until just cooked through (5-7 minutes for the first side; 3-5 for the other side). Remove from pan and place on a paper towel or tray for any excess oil to drain. Heat garlic in pan for 3 minutes. Add the juice from both lemons to the pans along with chicken broth. Let sauce reduce by half. While sauce is reducing, slice lemons. Once sauce is reduce add the chicken back to the pan along with the lemon slices. Cook until just warmed.

Serve hot with sauce and lemons as garnish.

Citrus Sangria

We hosted a Twilight viewing party at our house a few weeks ago. Long story short, this is the only way my husband and some of our guy friends will watch the movie. I decided it would only be appropriate to have vampire themed food. The sangria filled the blood requirement and it was so good! If blood actually tasted like this sangria I'd be a vampire in a heartbeat.



Ingredients

2 bottles of red wine (I used Yellow Tail Merlot)
2 limes, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1/2 cup of simple syrup
ice

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a large pitcher and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish each glass of sangria with fruit from the pitcher.

The Best Apple Pie You Will Ever Have

I was calling this Apple Rum Pie until the husband and I sat down and each had a slice. All we kept saying was "This is the best apple pie I have ever had!" I'm not much of a baker mostly because it requires precision that I just don't have the attention span for. I threw this pie together without so much as a measuring spoon so all the measurements are estimations. Just go with your gut and your taste buds on this one.



Ingredients

Pie
1 premade pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury)
4 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 shots of dark rum
lemon juice (to keep the apples from browning prematurely)

Topping
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
butter, room temperature

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly dust the bottom of a pie plate with flour. Place pie crust in pie plate, press around plate. Trim the excess edges. In a medium bowl mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice and rum. Add apples and coat with sugar mixture. Transfer apples to pie crust pouring excess rum mixture into the pie. Bake for 15 minutes.

While pie is baking, mix flour and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Cut butter into mixture one tablespoon at a time until mixture forms crumbles. Remove pie from oven after 15 minutes of baking. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Cover top of pie with crumbles and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until crust and crumb topping are golden brown.

Serve hot from the oven or room temperature.

Dijon Cream Sauce

Whenever I make this sauce my husband always says "Yes! You're making the sauce!!". Needless to say I make this for a lot of different dishes. It's so simple yet it tastes so decadent and can be used for a plethora of dishes.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 2 heaping tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp of ground mustard
• 1/2 tsp of thyme (optional; I add or omit it depending on the flavors of the meat I'm working with)
• Salt
• Pepper

Direction

In a heavy sauce pan, whisk all ingredients together and heat over medium-low heat. Let the sauce reduce by half and serve hot.

Out of the Blue Chicken Cordon Bleu

Out of the blue (no pun intended) I was craving this. I scrounged around in the fridge and was able to find all the ingredients that I needed without having to run out to the market. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
• 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese (I use the low fat version)
• 4 slices of thin sliced ham (I used the ham we make our sandwiches with)
  
• 2 Tbsp of canola oil
• Flour for dredging
• Salt
• Pepper
• You'll need toothpicks to secure the chicken rolls
  

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread each cutlet with a wedge of cheese. Top with a slice of ham. Roll each cutlet up lengthwise and secure with two toothpicks. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge each roll in the flour. Once the oil is hot, place the rolls in the skillet. Brown each side (about 5 minutes a side). Remove from oil and place in an oven safe dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. (Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. You're looking for a temperature around 145-150.) Remove and serve immediately.

Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 – 10 oz. can of Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 tbsp Cheez Whiz

1/4 cup chunky salsa

1/4 cup of water

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp red cayenne pepper

4 burrito sized tortillas

cooking spray

Directions

Dice the chicken into 1/2″x1/2″ cubes. Spray a large deep skillet with cooking spray place over medium high heat. Add chicken and coat with spices. Stir chicken occasionally to avoid burning.

While chicken is cooking, mix soup and salsa in a small bowl. Once chicken is no longer pink, add water and soup mix to skillet. Stir until water and soup are thoroughly incorporated. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 10 minutes until bubbling and steaming.

In a small skillet over low heat, place a tortilla. Spoon a quarter the chicken and soup mixture onto half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over and heat thoroughly (about 1 minute). Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Serve immediately.

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 cups instant stuffing mix

1 – 10 oz. can of garlic cream of mushroom soup

1 – 8 oz. container of sour cream

4 oz. mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Fill a large stock pot 3/4 of the way with water, add chicken and poach just until chicken turns white. Remove chicken from water. While chicken is poaching preparing stuffing according to packaging instructions. Set aside.

Dice chicken into 1-inch cubes. In a 9″x13″ baking dish mix soup and sour cream together. Add chicken and mix to coat. Top chicken with prepared stuffing.

Cover dish with tin foil and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil top dish with cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

Serve immediately.

BLT Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

1 package of thick cut bacon

1 bag of pre-washed spring mix salad

8 slices of deli style chicken

1 tomato

4 tortilla wraps

Mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fry bacon in skillet until cooked through. Spread a teaspoon of mayo on one half of each tortilla. Place spring mix, tomato and two slices of chicken on the same half of the tortilla. Top with bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll the tortillas length wise.

Potato With Green Apples and Brie Soup

Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced leeks (whites only)
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and quartered, plus 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thinly, for garnish
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups fat-free evaporated milk
6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 ounces brie cheese, cut into small cubes

Directions

Spray a soup pot with cooking spray. Add the onion, leeks and quartered apples. Saute over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Turn off heat and set the mixture aside.

While the broth mixture is cooking, combine the evaporated milk and potatoes in a separate saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Pour the potato mixture into the soup pot. Stir to mix evenly.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding the pieces of brie cheese while pureeing. Return the pureed batch to the soup pot and heat until warmed through. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with thin slices of apple. Serve immediately.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. of bacon bits

1 (10 oz.) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1 (14 oz.) can quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained

1 (5 oz.) container garlic-herb flavored cheese spread

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 (8 oz.) container of sour cream

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

Directions:

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Mix spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic-herb cheese, parmesan cheese, sour cream, mayo and bacon into a medium bowl and until thoroughly incorporated. Scoop mixture into a 7 x 11 baking dish. Bake in over for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, bread and/or crackers.

Homemade Mac n Cheese

3lbs macaroni (bow ties work best)

8 oz. Fontina Cheese

1lb American Cheese

8 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese

12 oz. White Cheddar Cheese

16 oz. Whole Milk

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. nutmeg

½ cup breadcumbs

2 tbsp. butter (cold)

2 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Shred all cheeses. You may have to cube the American Cheese. Mix all cheeses together with cornstarch.

In a large pot, heat milk until steaming, being sure to stir frequently to prevent burning. Stir in mustard and nutmeg. Slowly add small amounts of cheese to milk, stirring in figure 8, to avoid cheese from balling. Continue until all the cheese is melted into the milk.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. Add macaroni. Boil for 3 minutes. Drain. DO NOT RINSE!

Add macaroni to cheese sauce. Pour into large casserole dish.

In a clean bowl, work butter into breadcrumbs until mixture is coarse. Top macaroni with breadcrumbs.

Bake the dish for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.

**Bacon and/or peas can be added for something extra.

White Bean and Spinach Pizza

1 pizza crust
1 can (15 oz.) of cannellini beans (drained & rinsed)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup of your choice of cheese
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In food processor, blend beans and garlic until smooth paste, adding a small amount of olive oil if dry.
3. Spread the bean paste on the pizza crust.
4. Top bean paste with cheese, spinach and sun dried tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper on pizza to taste.
6. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling

Chicken Sausage and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ingredients

1 pre-made thin pizza crust (I used Pilsbury)

2 cooked chicken sausages, sliced

1 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded

4 oz of goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup of tomato sauce

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, sliced thin

1/2 cup of baby spinach, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat grill to 350-400 degrees.

2. Roll out pizza dough on non-stick aluminum foil.

3. Spread tomato sauce thinly on pizza dough.

4. Top with goat cheese crumbles, sausage, spinach, garlic, shallots and mozzarella cheese.

5. Place aluminum foil with pizza on hot grill. Shut lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown.

6. Slice into six to eight squares and serve immediately.

This pizza was so easy to make and a huge hit! It was great to cook it on the grill since it was hot outside and didn’t heat up my house.

Creamy Gouda and Mushroom Soup

This soup is fantastic! I was drooling as soon as I came across the recipe on Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creation Blog. It’s definitely a meal by itself and a whole pot (which probably will give you 6 large servings) only cost me $17 for all of the ingredients. And now that the weather is getting colder this is the perfect thing to warm you from the inside out.

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb. mushrooms (your choice)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cups yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 cups light cream
• 2 oz. smoked gouda, shredded

Directions

• In a stockpot or dutch oven, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• In the bacon fat, cook the diced onion over low heat for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper and continue cooking over low or medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes.
• Increase the heat and add the sherry or wine. Cook until almost all of the alcohol has cooked off.
• Add the potatoes and the garlic, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaf and broth. Bring to a light boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove the bay leaf. Put as much or as little of the mixture as you want into a food processor and pulse it. This isn’t necessary but it creates both texture and thickness to the soup.
• Return the pureed soup to the dutch oven. Add the light cream and gouda. Simmer until the soup has heated through and the cheese has melted.
• Garnish bowls with diced bacons and more cheese, if desired.

Smokey Steak and Mushroom Gouda Risotto

I am absolutely infatuated with Gouda cheese recently. I just realized how versatile it is. Inspired by the recent Mushroom and Gouda soup I made, I adapted the recipe for my and Tim’s favorite side dish…risotto. Tim came up with the rub for the steaks and I have to say…it was fabulous! Not overpowering…just the right amount of seasoning.

Smokey Steak

Ingredients

2 – 1 inch strip steaks

2 tbsp McCormick’s Montreal Seasoning

2 tsp chili powder

Directions

Heat grill to medium high heat. While grill is heating, season both sides of steaks with seasoning and chili powder. Place steaks on hot grill and do not move. After about 7 minutes, turn each steak 90 degrees. (This will make those beautiful grill marks.) Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Flip steaks over and repeat for other side. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the inside is at least 160°F (medium).

Mushroom Gouda Risotto

Ingredients

2 cups risotto

32 oz. chicken broth

3/4 cup of white wine (use whatever you drink)

5 oz. smoked gouda, shredded

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 gloves, minced

16 oz. sliced baby portobello mushrooms

Directions

Place a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil and onion to pot, cook onion 5-7 minutes or just until onion turns golden brown. Add garlic and mushrooms and stir to coat with oil. Cook the mushrooms until they release most of their moisture, about 7-10 minutes. Add risotto and toast, 3-5 minutes. Pour the wine in; this will help deglaze the pan, make sure you scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom. Continue to stir the risotto. Once most of the wine is absorbed, add 2/3 cup to 1 cup of broth. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to stir the risotto, approximately every 2 minutes. Once the broth is absorbed (usually about 5-7 minutes), add another 2/3 cup. Repeat until all of the broth is used and the risotto is creamy and tender. (About 25-30 minutes.) Slowly stir in the gouda. (Stir is figure 8′s, it will prevent the cheese from balling up.) Once all of the cheese is incorporated add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

(Pardon the dark picture, it was taken with the hubby’s cell phone.)

Home Style Pot Roast

Pot roast as a whole is very easy to make, you can customize it as much as you want. I was going to make some bacon with this but just didn’t feel like cutting up the bacon, frying it and dealing with the unused portion of the package…maybe when I’m a little more motivated I’ll revisit the bacon idea. For now, here is my home style pot roast recipe (just like mom made it, had she been a decent cook). (I kid!! Well sorta.)

Ingredients

1 – 2lb beef roast (I prefer top round)

2 – 14 oz. cans of beef broth or stock

2lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes or Red Skinned Golden Potatoes, cut into quarters

1lb baby carrots

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 envelopes of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Salt

Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot (about 2 tbsp). Add the onions and place the pot over medium high heat. Caramelize the onions (about ten minutes).

Meanwhile, liberally season the roast with salt and pepper. Once the onions have begun to caramelized add the roast to the pot, seasoned side down. Be sure to season the other side. Brown the roast on both sides (about 5-7 minutes per side).

Once the roast is browned add the beef broth and soup mix, be sure to stir well to incorporate the ingredients. Then add the potatoes.

Bring the pot to a vigorous boil and then add the carrots.

Reduce the heat to low to medium low, cover the pot and let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Check the internal temperature of the roast with a meat thermometer, you’re shooting for 145-160°F. Remove roast and veggies and let rest on a large platter for 10 minutes before slicing.

This is optional but I love a thick pan gravy, especially when I have warm crusty bread to soak it up with.

While the meat is resting, bring the liquid in the pot to a boil, skim off any fat that has foamed to the top. While the liquid is boiling, mix 4 tbsp cornstarch or flour with 2 tbsp warm water. After about ten minute the liquid in the pot should reduce. Add the cornstarch mixture to the liquid in the pot. Stir and continue to heat for an additional 2 minutes. The gravy will thicken slightly. If you’d like a thicker gravy, repeat the cornstarch and water mixture until you’ve achieved your desired consistency. Pour over meat and veggies.

Cold Tortellini Salad

There are hundreds of variations to this recipe. Don’t believe me? Type it into Google and see what you find. I barely follow recipes as it is so I just made up my own for this. This was incredibly easy to make, is packed full of veggies and was the perfect dinner on a hot summer evening.

Ingredients

1.5 to 2 lbs of frozen cheese tortellini

1 orange bell pepper

5 to 6 stalks of asparagus

1/3 of a head of broccoli

5 oz of sharp provolone

5 oz of fresh mozzarella

4 oz. Italian salad dressing (I make my own with Good Seasonings)

Olive oil (optional)

Directions

Fill a large pot 2/3 of the way full with water, salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the frozen tortellini and cook according to directions on package (usually 3-5 minutes). Drain the tortellini. Lightly coat the tortellini with olive oil to keep them from sticking together (optional). Place in a bowl and let cool entirely. (I stuck them in the refrigerator and they were completely cool in under an hour.)

(Tim is a good sport and an excellent sous chef.)

Chop 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus and then cut in half. Steam the asparagus for approximately 5 minutes or until bright green. Let cool entirely. (Again I just stuck them in the refrigerator.)

Chop peppers and broccoli and set aside.

Slice the mozzarella and then quarter.

In a large serving bowl mix tortellini, asparagus, peppers, broccoli and mozzarella. Add salad dressing and mix until all ingredients are coated.

I cubed the sharp provolone and threw it in with the rest of the ingredients, Tim said the flavor was too strong for him in the chunks of cheese and suggested that I make smaller chunks next time. You could do that or you could get a potato peeler and shave the cheese. If you decide to shave the cheese save this step until you’re ready to serve.

Let the pasta and veggies with salad dressing sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Serve cold. We also had bread and butter with the salad.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

These were so friggin tasty and such a hit with three guys just back from deployment! So much of a hit that I never got a chance to take a picture of the finished product. These bad boys were being eaten straight of the grill. Wash them down with a cold beer and enjoy!

Ingredients

12 medium sized jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed

1 package of thick cut bacon

10 oz cream cheese (approximately)

Directions

Stuff each pepper half with cream cheese.

Wrap each pepper with half a piece of bacon.

Refrigerator for 30 minutes or until ready to cook.

Heat grill to medium heat. Spray top rack with non-stick spray or brush with vegetable oil. Place a piece of aluminum foil (with the sides folded up) underneath the rack. (This will catch the grease from the bacon.) Grill peppers until bacon is cooked.

Serve immediately.

Cheese Nip Chicken

I can’t take the credit for this recipe. I found it on Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations Blog yesterday while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with some chicken we had thawing. The picture of the bright orange chicken she had post was what actually caught my eye first. I was hesitant to make baked chicken because it seems like it always comes out dry but I think Mary Ellen hit the oven sweet spot by raising the temperature from the old standby of 350 to 400 degrees. It’s a higher heat that seals in the juices and crisps up the coating much better. I relied on my trustworthy meat thermometer to tell me when the chicken was done and it was hands down the best piece of baked chicken I’ve ever hand. Juicy on the inside and a crispy, tasty crust on the outside.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

Laughing Cow cheese (we used the low fat original variation)

Cheese Nips

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Paprika

Ground mustard

Salt

Pepper

2 Eggs

Flour to dredge

Canola oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a large baking dish with canola oil.

Fill a large zip lock bag about a quarter of the way with Cheese Nips. Crush into fine crumbs (I used a rolling pin). Set up a coating station in this order: flour, egg, Cheese Nips.

Cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast. Spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese into each pocket. Dredge each piece of chicken into flour, dip in egg, repeat, then coat in Cheese Nips. (You’ll be so happy you double dipped in the flour and egg.) Place in dish.

Bake uncovered for approximately 30-45 minutes (depending on how large your chicken is) (for best results use a meat thermometer).

We had steamed green beans and a brown rice with this chicken. You’ll notice how I have no pictures of the chicken because we ate before giving it a second though.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Some of you may know me from my original blog Also Known As...the Wife. I had started posting some of my recipes on that blog but I felt they weren't getting the true attention they deserved. So I started My Bitchin' Kitchen. I hope to inspire you to be a bit more confident in the kitchen and try a few new things.

Happy cooking and happy eating!